Driving in Italy

My family just made that trip. We drove to Tuscany from Rome, and after that, took the train from Florence to the north. Driving is easy on the autostrada and you can stop and see sights along the way. I guess it depends upon how much time you have and what you want to see. We rented a car in the Lake region and found it very easy to get around, as it was in Tuscany. I did buy a TomTom here in the US that was preloaded with European maps and found it very valuable.

In general, if you are going from one big city to another, just take the train. But if you are going to out-of-the-way places that aren't serviced well by train or bus, then a rental car makes sense. You can research Italian train schedules at www.trenitalia.com. FYI, every sterotype that you've heard about driving in Italy is true. Driving in big Italian cities requires lots of nerve and good CDW.

Do not drive in Rome......We went for three weeks and took the train everywhere except we rented a car in Tuscany. Most travelers would not recommend driving particularly in the bigger cities. Even the Italians talk about how bad the drivers are there. We drove in Tuscany and got lost quite often....the roads are not marked well....Trains are so easy! It is more enjoyable as the driver gets to sit and observe the scenery as well. Marilee

I agree with all above. Take the trains when they are avaialble, otherwise rent the car! We used local transportation for our recent trip to
Rome, then rented a car thru Eurocar for the trip to southern Italy. I sure wish that we had bought a TOM TOM GPS. (Or spent the $80 to rent one with the car)Navigating without a GPS was not fun when you were not on the major Autostradas!